Ambitious for a sustainable and connected Highland

Members have agreed six priority commitments in a revised Council Programme at today’s council meeting.

The six themes within the Programme are:

A Council that Champions the Highlands;

A Place to Live;

A place to Thrive;

A place to Prosper;

A Welcoming Place; and

Your Highland Council

These themes and the actions which the council has agreed to, reflect priorities which have emerged through the round of public engagement during November.

An overarching new vision has also been agreed. This is that the Council will be “ambitious for a sustainable and connected Highland” and will support its communities in this goal.

A corporate plan will now be developed, with outcomes linked to key performance indicators.

Leader of the Council Margaret Davidson said: “Our revised Programme has a clear vision that the council should be “ambitious, sustainable and connected Highland”. This vision underpins the priorities which we have highlighted for the future, including a new theme of “a council which “champions the Highlands”. The Highlands is unique area with a distinctive international brand and we must maximise the opportunities we have to celebrate and promote all that Highland has to offer.”

Chief Executive Donna Manson said: “In response to a call from communities for a more transparent and collaborative approach, the council will look at how best to structure the organisation to support local service delivery and governance. An all-member seminar will be held in January to consider this as well as looking at the development of performance measures for the corporate plan to deliver the Programme.”

The Programme – Your Voice Your Council Your Future can be found at https://www.highland.gov.uk/meetings/meeting/4063/highland_council

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